Italy Driverless Car Project Pushes for EU-Wide StrategyItaly Driverless Car Project Pushes for EU-Wide Strategy

An autonomous Fiat 500e is being tested on city streets in northern Italy in what organizers say is the first test of its kind in Europe.

The car used in the project leaves a public charging station in Brescia, drives 1 km (.62 mile) at a maximum speed of 18.6 mph (30 mph) and parks itself in a parking lot to simulate the experience of carrying a ride-hailing customer.

The project, run by energy provider A2A in collaboration with the Politecnico di Milano university and Italy's National Sustainable Mobility Centre, aims to contribute to decarbonizing cities, traffic reduction and environmental sustainability, says CEO Renato Mazzoncini.

Each future test will be monitored by a supervisor onboard the vehicle and a control room. A safety car will accompany the vehicles in traffic to warn road users that autonomous driving is being tested on public roads.

The self-driving car is also capable of charging autonomously without human intervention and this experimental phase will last until November, with tests scheduled once or twice a month. The test area covers a large part of Brescia, including the historic center and neighboring districts.

Mazzoncini tells Reuters: “Europe cannot lag behind China and the United States. We expect a commitment at a European level after this experimental phase.”